A third loss in the All England Open final was not the charm for Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. Despite the defeat, the Malaysian badminton star was quick to shift focus. He praised the support staff working tirelessly behind the scenes.

The Institut Sukan Negara posted a heartfelt message of support to Chia. “Behind every performance on court is a team working tirelessly behind the scenes,” the message read.

Chia responded with, "Always ❤️"

The Institut Sukan Negara plays a key role in preparing the athletes for major competitions. The institute's specialists help with everything from injury prevention to performance enhancement.

And it's not the first time he's done so. Back in July 2025, he made a similar post after winning some silverware. "Learned and moved on for the next. Thanks to everyone who supporting us all the time 💪🏻 Coaches and support staff 🙏🏻 Together as ONE 🇲🇾"

This time, however, things didn't go their way. After winning the first set, the duo faltered against South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae in a gruelling 63-minute final. With this loss, it became the third straight time they have lost the tournament.

Their coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi, tried to console them when he said, "They are still unlucky in the All-England. They played well despite the defeat."

But despite this loss, Aaron Chia remains determined.

Aaron Chia Says It's Not Their Time Yet

Talking about the loss, Chia said, "Of course, losing again is painful, but we have learnt a lot. We missed out on winning our first Super 1000 title, but maybe it's just not our time yet. There are still plenty of opportunities ahead. Wooi Yik and I still did well. We reached the final and lost to the best pair out there. There's still more for us to learn."

And there's plenty of time to follow up on that. While they may have lost their "Wimbledon", Chia has another shot at victory in just a few days.

Next month, the pair will go to China to defend their title at the Asian Championships. Last year, they won the championship in straight sets after defeating Chinese stars Chen Boyang and Liu Yi.

Do you think they can do so this year? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Chitrak Mukherjee

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar